Real Nightmares
by Cool Jay
Summary: There's always more to nightmares than anyone can imagine. Sometimes, they act as painful reminders of past events or reflect the current state of our heroes. And only in the rarest occasions do these nightmares become dark premonitions a phenomenal crisis. An "Alliance of Worlds" story, part of my big crossover fanfiction.


**REAL NIGHTMARES  
**

**~An "Alliance of Worlds" story~**

Pain. Rage. Vengeance.

The boy's soul harbored these vivid emotions, which shaped his very being as he spent two long years in prison. No one ever knew what terrible tortures he had endured, and it was no one's business to discover what he had suffered. To him, no one had the right to know that almost every night, he'd lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling before drifting into the nightmares that haunt him.

Against his own will, he relived the unbearable events of his past. Restrained on a reclinable seat, surrounded by needles filled with questionable, purple liquid that gave off a disturbing aura, the glaring lights overhead nearly blinding him... He had ended up in this wretched place after being thrown into the future, where city guards picked him up and locked him away. In this horrible dream, he recalled how he had been forced into this sinister project called the Dark Warrior Project, which was comprised of hours of excruciating experiments that pumped any guinea pig with that dark liquid. This project was supervised by the desperate, power-hungry ruler of Haven City, a desolate city on the brink of destruction. The ruler had hoped to create an army that would rid the city of its mortal enemies, the Metalheads, once and for all. Unfortunately, whoever went through this experiment suffered horribly before dying a slow, agonizing death.

There was one exception, and that was this boy. This experiment was meant to create the greatest weapon, and it did... Only that the boy was beyond anyone's control, even the ruler's, which is to be expected from a strong-willed boy. Before he could be executed, the boy was fortunately rescued by his long-time friend, a former human who had been turned into an orange ferret-like creature. Together, they both escaped the dungeons of a hellhole and joined the rebel "the Underground" to not only fight the usurper and restore the true heir to the throne, but also to defeat the Metalheads.

The boy had come a long way since. His previous adventures turned him into a skilled warrior way before he had acquired these new dark powers. He grew into a man whose origins was convoluted in time-traveling mystery, which led him to discover that he had already possessed powers of his own, untapped and complementing his dark powers. And after a long, arduous battle, filled with betrayals, loss and pain, the young man brought down the usurper, slayed the Metalhead leader, eliminated the remnant of a blood-thirsty race and any politicians that wanted his head.

If there is someone who earned the title of hero, then it should be him. Despite what he went through and what he lost, he walked on and kept on fighting like a true warrior, even if he struggled with keeping his immense powers, both light and dark, in check. There was still an ongoing battle within him, especially with that dark entity within him that seemed to grow ever more vicious.

And it was the sight of his monstrous self that he jolted upright in his bed, his naked chest wet and glossy by his cold sweat. It took him seconds before he realized that he had been panting and staring at his trembling hands. He pulled his hands to his face and for a moment, just breathed into his palms to regain his composure. His hands slid from his face and landed onto his lap, and after breathing out a weary sigh, he pulled the sheets off of himself and slipped into his light-purple overalls. His goggles set onto his forehead, he quietly walked out of the room and down a flight of stairs.

He and his friend had been living in this small house for a while now. They had all they needed to live comfortably, including their own garage. In fact, after the battles they had fought fought in Haven City, both heroes had grown a new passion besides slaying enemies: racing. Competition between other racers, tournaments, claiming prizes… There was this new thrill that granted them both that adrenaline rush as they raced on tracks. Plus, the young man got a kick out of fixing and tuning up their vehicle instead of destroying things for once. Working on his car kept his mind busy, and a little distraction was what he really needed right now.

Below the ground floor, he approached the door when he heard some repetitive clanking noise coming from within the room. He produced a handgun from his pocket, ready to fire it, and he gently pushed the door before he flung it open. The young man stared in utter surprise, slowly lowering his weapon. He found his little orange friend working on the car.

It wasn't unusual for the young hero to work late at night, but not the same could be said for his little pal. The animal rarely worked at all, since he preferred sleeping or flirting with women over working. And as the orange animal turned around to look at the unexpected visitor, both friends discovered that neither of them were able to sleep because of their nightmares.

Little did they know that their nightmares were dark premonitions to future events. A wilder, crazier adventure they were unaware of was dawning, and it would challenge not only their sanity, but also their souls.

* * *

Author's Note:

Hey guys! As you may have noticed, this is only an excerpt of an ongoing crossover story that I'm working on, titled "Alliance of Worlds". If you're curious to see which dimensions are involved, then go check it out on my profile page! ;D

Thanks again for reading, and see you guys soon!


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